Closure with flexible hinge

ABSTRACT

A closure for a container includes a closure shell having a first interior surface, a tamper evident band having a second interior surface, and a flexible hinge. The flexible hinge includes a first end, a second end, and a gathered portion located between the first and second ends. The first end is coupled to the closure shell and the second end is coupled to the tamper evident band. At least a portion of the gathered portion extends radially inward with respect to the interior surface of the closure shell. The flexible hinge permits the closure shell to be opened and remain tethered to the tamper evident band. The closure may further include a retaining bead or ratchets to keep the tamper evident band attached to the container.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to closures for containers such as, butnot limited to glass and plastic bottle-type containers. Moreparticularly, the invention relates to flexibly hinged closures forcontainers.

BACKGROUND

Containers with closures are well known in the art, including containerswith closures that have both a closure shell or cap and a tamper evidentband (e.g., a standard, single-use, plastic water bottle). Although lesscommon, hinged and tethered closures also exist such as those describedin U.S. Published Patent Application No. US20110000137; Japanese PatentNo. JP11278520; Japanese Patent No. JP2005306421; and Japanese PatentNo. JP08301329. In the foregoing references, the hinges of the describedclosures are external to the closure and therefore may be more difficultto keep sanitary when the closure shell is closed, may not beaesthetically pleasing, and/or may be prone to damage even with theclosure shell in a closed position. Further, the hinges of the foregoingreferences may not be usable with a tamper evident band, they may lackflexibility for use on various sized container necks, they may onlyprovide a limited opening range for the closure relative to thecontainer, they may not effectively encourage the closure to remain inan open position after the closure has been opened, or some combinationthereof.

In view of government activity in several jurisdictions, hinged andtethered closures may likely become mandatory in the near future. Forexample, California proposed legislation that would require allsingle-use plastic beverage containers have a cap that is tethered tothe container primarily to deal with the problem of marine debris.Likewise, the European Commission proposed a directive to target the tensingle-use plastic products most often found on Europe's beaches andseas. Specifically, the European Commission proposed that single-usedrink containers made with plastic will only be allowed on the market iftheir caps and lids remain attached.

SUMMARY

The present invention generally relates to a closure for a container. Inat least one embodiment of the present invention, the closure includes aclosure shell having a first interior surface, a tamper evident bandhaving a second interior surface, and a flexible hinge. The flexiblehinge includes a first end, a second end, and a gathered portion locatedbetween the first and second ends. The first end is coupled to theclosure shell and the second end is coupled to the tamper evident band.At least a portion of the gathered portion extends radially inward withrespect to the interior surface of the closure shell. The flexible hingepermits the closure shell to be opened and remain tethered to the tamperevident band. The closure may further include a retaining bead to keepthe tamper evident band attached to the container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings illustrate only example embodiments and are therefore donot limit the scope of the present invention, as other equally effectiveembodiments are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure. Theelements and features shown in the drawings are not necessarily drawn toscale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly and legiblyillustrating the principles of the present invention. Additionally oralternatively, certain dimensions or features may be exaggerated orshown in a see-through format to help visually convey certainprinciples, functions or relative locations. In the drawings, similarreference numerals between figures designate like or corresponding, butnot necessarily the same, elements.

FIG. 1 is a side-elevational view of a container system with the closurein a closed position and shown in a partially transparent andsee-through format for clarity according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a container system with the closurein an open position according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a closure having a closure shell and atamper evident band according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is cross-sectional, perspective view of the closure showing theflexible hinges according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is another cross-sectional, perspective view of the closureshowing the retaining bead and attachment bridges according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the closure with a flexible hingehaving two or more bent or gathered portions according to an embodimentof the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional, perspective view of the closure having afolded tamper band including a ratchet formation according to anembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of theinvention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that theinvention may be practiced without these details. In other instances,well-known structures associated with containers and closures may havenot been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuringdescriptions of the embodiments of the invention.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification andclaims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, suchas, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open,inclusive sense, which is as “including, but not limited to.”

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment or aspect” or“an embodiment or aspect” means that a particular feature, structure orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, theappearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” invarious places throughout this specification are not necessarily allreferring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features,structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner inone or more embodiments.

The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do notinterpret the scope or meaning of the claimed invention.

In accordance with the purpose(s) of the present disclosure, as embodiedand broadly described herein, embodiments of the present disclosure,relate to closures for containers, wherein the closures have a flexiblehinge that allows the closure to remain tethered to the container whilethe container is being used. In general, embodiments of the presentdisclosure provide for flexibly hinged and tethered closures and methodsof making the same. For instance, the flexibly hinged closures describedherein are generally used in connection with containers for dispensingproducts such as, but not limited to, food and beverages (e.g.,carbonated and non-carbonated beverages, water, oils or condiments,powders or granular products such as seasonings, over the countermedicine); beauty and hygiene products (e.g., shampoos, lotions, gels);and household products (e.g., adhesives, detergents, cleaningsolutions). Nevertheless, the closures of the present disclosure mayalso be used in connection with various other containers even thoughsuch containers have not been expressly identified herein. The closures,and various embodiments thereof, may be adapted for containerapplications having a screw closure, a snap closure, or some combinationthereof.

For purposes of brevity and clarity, the following terms and variationsthereof such as, but not limited to, “container,” “closure,” “closureshell,” “tamper evident band,” and “hinge” as used herein should bebroadly interpreted. For example, container may be any type ofcontainer, but in most cases will take the form of a container fordispensing a commercially available good or product. The term “closure”includes at least the closure shell and the tamper evident band incombination. The term “closure shell” may be any type of top, cap, lid,or cover that can be moved from an open to a closed position, andvice-versa, relative to the container. The term “tamper evident band”may be any structure (e.g., ring, continuous strip) that preferablyremains coupled to the container after the closure shell has been movedto the open position. Lastly, the term “hinge” may be as any type offlexible structure that couples the closure shell to the tamper evidentband, and for purposes of the present invention the hinge may take theform of gathered, corrugated, bent, V-shaped, U-shaped, or some otheraccordion-like configuration wherein at least a portion of the hingeextends radially inward with respect to the container and/or closurewhen the closure shell is in a closed position. Further, the hingepermits the closure shell to remain tethered or otherwise attached tothe tamper evident band when the closure shell is in an open position.

FIG. 1 shows a container system 100 having a container 102 and a closure104. For purposes of illustrative clarity, the closure 104 is shown aspartially transparent or see-through to illustrate a transportation ring106 (also referred to as a support ring) and a tamper evident neck ring108 formed as part of the neck finish of the container 102. The closure104 includes a closure shell 110 and a tamper evident band 112.

FIG. 2 shows the container system 100 with the closure shell 110 in anopen position relative to the container 102 with the tamper evident band112 of the closure 104 remaining coupled to or otherwise attached to thecontainer 102. In the illustrated embodiment, a flexible hinge 118couples or tethers the closure shell 110 to the tamper evident band 112.When in the open position, the flexible hinge 118 tends to straighten,as compared to its bent or gathered configuration shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows the closure 104 with the closure shell 110 in a closed andaligned position relative to the tamper evident band 112. In theillustrated embodiment, the tamper evident band 112 optionally includesa guide tab 114 that extends vertically upward from the tamper evidentband 112. The guide tab 114 may be coupled to or integrally formed withthe tamper evident band 112. The guide tab 114 primarily operates tokeep dust and debris from entering the closure 104 and becoming trappedaround the neck of the container 102 (FIG. 1). The guide tab 114prevents dust and debris to from residing on portions of the closure 104and container 102, which create unacceptable food and beverageconditions.

In some embodiments, as shown, the guide tab 114 extends from the tamperevident band 112 upward towards the closure shell 110. In otherembodiments, the guide tab 114 may extend downward from the closureshell 110 towards the tamper evident band 112.

In some embodiments, the closure shell 110 can optionally include one ormore protuberances 116 coupled to or integrally formed with the closureshell 110. In some embodiments, the tamper evident band 112 additionallyincludes one or more protuberances 117 coupled to or integrally formedwith the tamper evident band 112. When the closure shell 110 is opened,the protuberances 116 may interact or interlock with the protuberances117 to secure or otherwise maintain the closure shell 110 in the openposition.

In the present invention, the closure 104 includes one or more flexiblehinges 118. Referring to the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3, theclosure 104 includes two flexible hinges 118 located on either side ofthe guide tab 114. The flexible hinges 118 are attached or otherwisecoupled to the closure shell 110 and the tamper evident band 112,respectively. As explained in further detail below and in associationwith FIG. 4, one purpose of the flexible hinges 118 is to allow theclosure shell 110 to remain open without the tendency to move backtowards the closed position. Moreover, the configuration of the flexiblehinges 118 allows additional extension of the closure shell 110 when theclosure shell 110 is moved from a closed position to an open positionbecause the flexible hinges 118 will unfold and tend to straighten,which allows the closure shell 110 to move over threads on the neck andultimately over the opening of the container 104. Additionally, theflexible hinges 118 withstand an amount of torsional or rotationalflexibility that allows the closure shell 110 to stretch and therebyclear the threads and opening of the container.

In some embodiments, the flexible hinges 118 may be made of a materialthat is a different material from that of the closure shell 110, thetamper evident band 112, or both. By way of example, the flexible hinges118 may be made from a more flexible plastic, silicon, a molded rubbermaterial, or some other material that allows for the necessary amount oftorsional flexibility or stretching during the opening process of theclosure shell 110.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show the interior structure of the closure 104 in two,slightly different cut-away, perspective views, respectively. Referringprimarily to FIG. 4, the flexible hinges 118 take the form of a band ofmaterial having a gathered portion 120 located between a first end 122and a second end 124 of the flexible hinge 118. In the illustratedembodiment, the first end 122 is coupled to or integrally formed withthe closure shell 110 and the second end is coupled to or integrallyformed with the tamper evident band 112, respectively.

In at least one embodiment, the gathered portion 120 takes the form ofbent, folded, corrugated or accordion-like section of material havingmultiple V-shape or U-shape portions (e.g., connected end to end). Atleast a portion of the gathered portion 120 extends radially inward withrespect to a first interior surface 126 of the closure shell 104, andmore specifically with respect to a second interior surface 128 (FIG. 5)of the tamper evident band 112. In the illustrated embodiment, the firstand second interior surfaces 126, 128 are flush with each other, but inother embodiments the surfaces 126, 128 may not be flush with eachother. The gathered portion 120 of the flexible hinge 118 may becomprised of a single gathered portion 120 or a plurality of gatheredportions forming an accordion-type configuration (FIG. 6).

Advantageously, the flexible hinge 118 is situated such that at least aportion of the gathered portion 120 is inside of the closure, which mayprovide for improved cleanliness or sanitation, and may limit damage tothe flexible hinge during transportation. Further, the flexible hinge118 functions in conjunction with a tamper evident band 112, may provideflexibility for use on various sized container necks, may provide awider opening range for the closure relative to existing closures, mayassist in maintaining the closure into an open position after theclosure has been opened, or any combination thereof.

Now referring primarily to FIG. 5, the tamper evident band 112 includesa retaining bead 130. When the closure shell 110 is initially opened(e.g., unscrewed or unsnapped), the tamper evident band 112 wants toremain attached to the closure shell 110 and raise upwards relative tothe container 102 (FIG. 1). The configuration of the retaining bead 130,which will be described in more detail below, prevents the tamperevident band 112 from moving upwards over the tamper evident neck ring108 of the container 102 (FIG. 1).

The retaining bead 130 is located on the tamper evident band 112 andextends radially inward from the second interior surface 128 of thetamper evident band 112. The retaining bead 130 may be coupled to orintegrally formed with the tamper evident band 112.

In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining bead 130 is a continuousprotuberance having a first section 132 and a second section 134 with avertically offset 136 from each other. The first section 132 may be thelower section and the second section 134 may be the upper section asillustrated in FIG. 5, or these may be interchanged for anotherretaining bead 138 located on an opposing surface of the closure 104 asshown in FIG. 4. The tamper evident band 112 may have one, two, or moreretaining beads. For purposes of clarity, the stepwise configuration ofthe retaining bead 130 is intended to prevent the tamper evident band112 from moving over or off of the tamper evident ring 108 located on aneck of the container 102 (FIG. 1).

The first section 132 is positioned approximately beneath the flexiblehinge 118 or the area including the flexible hinges 118. In particular,the first section 132 is positioned at a height on the tamper evidentband 112 such that the section 132 prevents the tamper evident band 112from moving upwards over the tamper evident neck ring 108 of thecontainer 102. For example, the first section 132 may be at a heightthat is lower when compared to the remainder of the retaining bead 130,thus forming the vertical offset 136.

In the illustrated embodiment, the retaining bead 130 is continuous inthat the first section 132 continuously flows into the second section134 through a curved or sloped section 140. In an alternate embodiment,the retaining bead 130 may be staggered, spaced-apart, or otherwisenon-continuous. By way of example, the retaining bead 130 may comprise aplurality of protuberances that function in the same or similar manneras the continuous retaining bead 118.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 7, a tamper evident band 212 is afoldable band on which a plurality of outwardly projecting ratchets 220,222 (or lugs) are positioned around the perimeter of the tamper evidentband 212. The ratchets 220, 222 are positioned such that when the band212 is in an unfolded position (not shown) the ratchets 220, 222 arelocated on the external perimeter of the closure 104. When the band 212is folded along a hinge 215 (e.g., thinned material) into a foldedposition as seen in FIG. 7, the ratchets 220, 222 are located within theinterior perimeter of the closure 104.

The configuration of the ratchets 220, 222 prevents the tamper evidentband 212 from moving upwards over the tamper evident neck ring 108 ofthe container 102. For example, the ratchet(s) 220 has a first heightthat is configured to prevent a portion of the band 212 from moving overthe neck ring 108, and the ratchet(s) 222 has a second height that isconfigured to prevent a remaining portion of the band 212 from movingover the neck ring 108 approximately near the location of the flexiblehinge 118. Specifically, the ratchet(s) 222 extend around a portion 230of the tamper evident band 212 that, when in the folded position, ispositioned approximately beneath the flexible hinge 118.

In some embodiments (not illustrated), at least one ratchet ispositioned between the ratchets 220, 222. This intermediate ratchetwould have a height intermediate the first height and the second heightand be positioned to create a transition region. For example, theportion 230 would include the third ratchet(s) having the intermediateheight to create a region of gradual transition from the higher heightof the ratchet 220 to the lower height of the ratchet 222. Lastly, theclosure 104 includes a plurality of frangible attachment bridges 142that couple the closure shell 110 to the tamper evident band 112. Thebridges 142 are readily breakable when the closure shell 110 is moved(e.g., twisted, rotated, moved or lifted upwards by an unsnappingmovement) relative to the tamper evident band 112.

The various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments. Aspects can be modified, if necessary, to employdevices, features, and concepts of the various patents, applications andpublications to provide yet further embodiments.

These and other changes can be made in light of the above detaileddescription. In general, in the following claims, the terms used shouldnot be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodimentsdisclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construedto include all types of closures, closure shells, tamper evident bands,flexible hinges, retaining beads, and attachment bridges, as well asother systems and processes in the bottling, capping and closureindustry that operate in accordance with the claims. Accordingly, theinvention is not limited by the disclosure, but instead its scope is tobe determined entirely by the following claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A closure for a container, the closure comprising: aclosure shell having a first interior surface; a tamper evident bandhaving a second interior surface; and a flexible hinge having a firstend, a second end, and a gathered portion located between the first andsecond ends, the first end is coupled to the closure shell and thesecond end is coupled to the tamper evident band, wherein at least aportion of the gathered portion extends radially inward with respect tothe interior surface of the closure shell.
 2. The closure of claim 1,further comprising at least one retaining bead that extends inward fromand circumferentially along the second interior surface of the tamperevident band, wherein a first portion of the retaining bead isvertically offset from a second section of the retaining bead and thesecond section of the retaining bead is positioned approximately beneaththe flexible hinge and configured to prevent the tamper evident bandfrom moving over a neck ring of a container.
 3. The closure of claim ofclaim 2, wherein the retaining bead is a continuous bead formedcircumferentially along the second interior surface of the tamperevident band.
 4. The closure of claim of claim 2, wherein the retainingbead is formed as an intermittent bead formed circumferentially alongthe second interior surface of the tamper evident band.
 5. The closureof claim 2, wherein the retaining bead is integrally formed with thetamper evident band.
 6. The closure of claim 1, further comprising aguide tab coupled to the tamper evident band of the closure.
 7. Theclosure of claim 1, further comprising a guide tab coupled to theclosure shell of the closure.
 8. The closure of claim 1, furthercomprising a plurality of frangible attachment bridges that couple theclosure shell to the tamper evident band, wherein the bridges arereadily breakable when the closure shell is moved relative to the tamperevident band.
 9. The closure of claim 1, wherein the flexible hingeincludes additional gathered portions.
 10. The closure of claim 1,wherein the flexible hinge includes a V-shaped or U-shaped portion. 11.The closure of claim 10, wherein the flexible hinge includes additionalgathered portions, each being V-shaped or U-shaped.
 12. The closure ofclaim 1, wherein the flexible hinge keeps the closure shell tethered tothe tamper evident band when the closure shell is in an open position.13. The closure of claim 1, further comprising a first protuberancepositioned on a first exterior surface of the closure shell and a secondprotuberance positioned on a second exterior surface tamper evidentband, wherein the first and second protuberances are configured tointeract in order to maintain the closure shell in an open positionrelative to the tamper evident band.
 14. The closure of claim 1, whereinthe tamper evident band is a foldable band comprising a first ratchet ata first height and a second ratchet at a second height, smaller thanthat the first height, the second ratchet being positioned approximatelybeneath at least a portion of the flexible hinge, such that when thetamper evident band is folded along a hinge, the first and secondratchets are located on the second interior surface of the tamper bandand are configured to prevent the tamper evident band from moving over aneck ring of a container.
 15. The closure of claim 14, furthercomprising an intermediate ratchet being positioned between the firstand second ratchets and having a height that is intermediate between thefirst and second ratchets.
 16. A method of making a closure for acontainer, the method comprising: forming a closure shell having a firstinterior surface; forming a tamper evident band having a second interiorsurface; and forming a flexible hinge configured to couple the closureshell to the tamper evident band, the flexible hinge having a first endcoupled to the closure shell, a second end coupled to the tamper evidentband, and a gathered portion located between the first and second ends,wherein at least a portion of the gathered portion extends radiallyinward with respect to the interior surface of the closure shell. 17.The method of claim 16, further comprising forming at least oneretaining bead that extends inward from and circumferentially along thesecond interior surface of the tamper evident band, wherein a firstportion of the retaining bead is vertically offset from a second sectionof the retaining bead and the second section of the retaining bead ispositioned approximately beneath the flexible hinge and configured toprevent the tamper evident band from moving over a neck ring of acontainer.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein obtaining the closureshell includes integrally forming the closure shell in accordance with amolding process.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein obtaining thetamper evident band includes integrally forming the tamper evident bandin accordance with a molding process.
 20. The method of claim 16,wherein coupling the closure shell to the tamper evident band with theflexible hinge includes integrally forming the flexible hinge with theclosure shell and the tamper evident band in accordance with a moldingprocess.